


The Switch

by Auntgrandmad



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Blind Date, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 05:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21156299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auntgrandmad/pseuds/Auntgrandmad
Summary: Arguing with Charlie Bradbury never ends well. After years of debating with his best friend, one would think Dean would get that by now. Somehow, he doesn't, and he continues to try over and over again. The most recent argument he lost is the reason he's sitting alone at the bar of some overpriced restaurant, wearing red so his date can find him.





	The Switch

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, and welcome! This is my second one shot ever, and my first that was not for a contest. I just want to write about Dean and Cas being cute and silly, so this is that. It’s not beta’d and may have mistakes throughout, but I’m impatient and am really just here to have fun. That being said, I hope you enjoy and if you do leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! Always ready to hear opinions and even ideas :)

Arguing with Charlie Bradbury never ends well. After years of debating with his best friend, one would think Dean would get that by now. Somehow, he doesn't, and he continues to try over and over again. The most recent argument he lost is the reason he's sitting alone at the bar of some overpriced restaurant, wearing red so his date can find him. 

Charlie has been concerned for his wellbeing since the last few relationships Dean has found himself in have ended...well, badly, to say the least. He can't seem to keep a woman, and he's had even more trouble keeping a man. So, his friend took it upon herself to set him up on a blind date. She gave him no instructions other than to show up to the restaurant, wear red, and that "mister tall, dark, and handsome" would meet him at the bar wearing blue. Now, at the bar he sits, wishing he would have just told her to tell the guy no. 

Dean looks down at the drink in front of him instead of checking the time again. The guy is not even fifteen minutes late, but Dean's got his whisky brain on tonight and he's started to worry he's been stood up. Or, maybe he's hoping he'll be stood up. 

In all honestly, Dean doesn't want to be here tonight. He would prefer to be home alone, drinking whisky, rather than here, sitting at the bar waiting for a random dude, drinking whisky. At least then he can not enjoy his night on a memory foam mattress with Dr. Sexy reruns playing. But, no; he just can't figure out a way to slow down, let alone stop, the Bradbury train from going off the tracks and mowing him down.

He vaguely hears the bartender ask someone if they need anything, and even when they sit next to him he doesn't look over. The alcohol he's swirling around in his glass is far more interesting than whatever is going on around him. But, when he hears the grainy, sultry voice respond, "Jack Daniels," his green eyes shot to the man next to him. Okay, maybe this is interesting. 

A tall guy, about Dean's size, clearly well built, with wild, dark hair and a five o' clock shadow that Dean would kill to feel on his skin. And, what do you know, the dude's wearing a blue shirt. Dear God, let this be him, he thinks. "Good choice, man," Dean says, swiveling on his chair to face the stranger.

Just when he thought this guy couldn't get any more attractive, he turns to full on face Dean. When he got a good look at the bright blue eyes studying him, he nearly fell out of his chair. Holy shit. "You a whisky man, too?"

"Hell yeah. Not picky about the brand, just like the taste," and the effects. "You come to a place like this just for a drink?" Dean asks, gesturing to the dining area around them.

"Actually, I'm supposed to be meeting a blind date here tonight. Figured this would help before I actually tried talking to him, but, I think I may be already? I was only told he'd be waiting in red at the bar,” he says, then raises an eyebrow before sweeping his eyes up and down Dean’s body. “I’m really hoping I’m not wrong in my assumption."

"Nah man, I think I'm your guy. I was supposed to meet someone "tall, dark, and handsome" wearing blue, and I'd say you meet that criteria." Dean tries to keep up a cool facade while quietly panicking inside, because damn this guy is hot. But, of course, his tomato red cheeks betray him. 

He earned the most wonderful deep chuckle for his comment, and the man grabbed his drink from the bar and gracefully swallowed it down before standing up. "I was told you would have light hair and a red shirt, but, no one warned me you'd be so gorgeous."

Dean can hardly form words at this point. From the sex hair, to the eyes, to the way his adams apple bobbed when he drank, and damn, that voice! "heh, well, i- ahem, should we. Maybe, table?" Yeah, that was coherent. Smooth, Winchester.

At some point while waiting for their food to arrive, Dean did learn to speak. They talked about their jobs and favorite foods, and Dean was seriously enjoying being around this guy. Hell, maybe Charlie did know a thing or two. "So, how'd you end up here?" Dean asked. 

"Well, I got in my car, turned on the GPS and followed the directions."

Dean huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes. "No, you dork, how'd you end up on a blind date? You seem like a pretty great guy. Nice enough, smart, and damn good looking. Or is it too early to ask what your deal is? I mean it's been about a half hour now and I ain't seein' anything bad."

“Why does there have to be something wrong with me?” 

“No, I didn’t mean that, I just,” Dean takes a breath and pauses before starting over. “I just mean that my friend’s set me up with a few other people before. There’s always some reason they have to resort to a blind date. You know, too awkward, too picky, I dunno. Somethin’.”

“Well, I could ask you the same," he replies, folding his hands in his lap as he leans back in his chair. 

"Okay, fair point. But, uh before we get any further, I'm sorry man I never really got your name. I gotta be honest, I wasn't into this whole thing until I actually met you. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't, well, you."

"So, now you know my place of employment, how many siblings I have, and the movies I like to watch repeatedly. But, not my name?" The man asks, the smile on his face and humor tinging his voice showing he's not offended. Dean just shrugs his shoulders, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Castiel."

Okay, Dean knows he didn't listen to much of what Charlie was saying about tonight. But, he also knows he would have remembered a mouthful like Castiel. He needs to call Charlie. "Uh, give me a second Cas, I gotta take this," he says, acting like he was receiving a call not running off to make one.

He quickly strides away from the table, getting further away from Castiel with each ring, praying Charlie picks up. "Dean! How's the date going?" Charlie's voice rang through the phone. 

Dean looks back to double check Cas is out of earshot, then decides just to duck into the bathroom. "What did you say this guys name was, Charlie?"

"Is he not there yet? It's been like forty five minutes!"

"No, he's here we're eating I just- his name Charlie. What was it?"

"Max. But, I really need to know how you've gone the whole dinn-"

"Shit!" Dean cuts her off mid sentence. "Okay, I gotta go, call you later, bye!" He hits end and jams the phone back into his pocket before abruptly pushing through the door and huffing his back to the table. 

He plops into his chair and drains his glass of water. "Everything okay?" Castiel implores, cautiously. 

Dean just looks back at the bewildered sapphire eyes scanning his face. His eyebrows rise up while he ponders a response, as if he never considered the man would ask him what just happened. Dean now realizes that he should’ve thought if a plan, or at least some explanation, before he burst out of the bathroom and back to the table. He chuckles nervously, biting the inside of his lip. "Uh, yeah sorry about that. So, where were we? Right, Castiel."

He smiles, all gummy and with his nose crinkling, but tilts his head with a tiny squint and clear confusion. Damn, that's adorable. Too bad he's not my date. "Yes, I'm Castiel."

"And, did your friend tell you my name? Or are you a dumbass like me and waited too long and got embarrassed to ask?" And, Lord, is that an understatement. Embarrassed is not near a strong enough word for the emotion Dean is experiencing right now. 

The grin Castiel gives, thinking he’s on top of things while Dean is clearly not, is divine. Dean almost melts watching those sweet pink lips tilt up at the corners, wondering if they feel as chapped as they look. "He did, yes. Brad, right?" 

Shit. He obviously knew they’d made a mistake, because how could you mix up Max and Castiel, but to hear it confirmed again was another punch in the gut. "Uh, Dean, actually. Here you were being cocky and you didn't know mine either," Dean says. Maybe he’ll just let it go, thinking he had it wrong. Dean’s sure he’s going to realize the mistake they’ve made and leave to find Brad, but he’s got to at least try to keep him from leaving. 

Dean doesn’t know if Cas really deserves to miss out on someone, on Brad, who could potentially give him so much more than he ever could. He doesn’t know if Cas is really enjoying himself or if he’s been thinking about splitting the whole time and now he has an out. He doesn’t know what it is that’s making him feel like he’s known this man his whole life, or why he thinks he would do just about anything to keep him even just until the check comes. But, he does know one thing. He knows for damn sure that he doesn't want to be with anyone but Cas, now. 

"What? No, I'm sure Gabriel told me Brad," Castiel says, pulling his phone out to sift through messages. “He definitely said Brad. Are you messing with me?”

Dean sighs and shakes his head. So much for hoping he’d just let it go. He considers pretending to be Brad for the duration of his time with Cas, but realizes that if he intends on trying to have an actual relationship with this guy that that would be the worst thing he could do. 

"Nope. Dean Winchester, in the flesh. I'm pretty sure we made a mistake. Gabriel’s , your brother, right?” Cas just nods, still looking at Dean incredulously . “He probably did set you up with Brad, but I'm not him. I just texted my friend and uh, my date was supposed to be a guy named Max. I would’ve remembered a name like Castiel," Dean clarifies. He looks past the heavenly man across from him and sees a guy sitting at the bar, looking back and forth from his phone to the door. Wearing a red shirt. Double shit. Dean taps the table in front of Cas and points in his direction. "And I think that guy’s Brad."

Cas turns around and studies the man before turning his wide blue eyes back to Dean. "Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Dean, I am so sorry. I should have asked your name, I don’t know why I didn’t, I just got so distracted, you're so- I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing. I can talk to Max for you, the last thing I want to do is ruin this for you, over my own-"

"Cas," Dean interrupts. "Look man, as adorable as this little thing you're doing is, I gotta stop you there. It's my fault too, but honestly it coulda happened to anybody. 'S just a weird coincidence, right? How often do two gay, blind dates happen at the same restaurant? And both are supposed to be meeting people based on the color shirt their wearing?"

"And they both happen to be blue and red."

"Yeah, weird." Cas relaxes a fraction, and in the moment Dean feels brave enough to reach across the table for his hand. "Here's the way I see it. You got two options." Cas gestures for him to continue. "You could go over there and schmooze Brad, tell him there was a misunderstanding and have dinner with him. Or," he stops, chewing his lip for a moment, "you could stay here. With me."

"Dean. I..."

"Look, I don't know about you, but this is the best date I've been on in years. Dunno if it's 'cause you're so easy to look at or talk to, but I feel so comfortable with you man, and that don’t come easy for me. And, honestly, I'm glad I'm sitting here with you and not Max. It's your call though, Cas.”

Castiel sits a moment longer, staring at Dean as if he's a puzzle he can't crack. "That's really how you feel?"

"Really."

A brief pause and a sigh from Cas, then, "me too...And I really didn't want to date a man named Brad."

Dean can't help but laugh at Cas' admission, and stands to offer his hand. "Wanna get out of here?" 

Finally, the expression on Cas’ face molds back into a smile as he takes Dean’s hand and allows himself to be pulled to his feet. Dean snags the check, pays, then leads them out. He takes a detour in order to pass the bar on the way to the door. He walks by and taps Brad on the shoulder. "You Brad?"

"Um...yes?" The blonde looks quizzically at Dean, then past him to Cas. Then, down at their joined hands. "Are you Castiel?" 

"He is. I'm Dean. Just wanted to-"

"Wait, you're Dean?" A lanky man from the opposite end of the bar asks. He pushes his floppy black hair behind his ears and clumsily stands up. "I'm Charlie's friend, Max!" Max hardly takes one step towards them, and already the smell of his woodsy body spray is invading their noses. 

Blinded by the, well, everything about this guy, Dean can’t even think of a response. He just blinks, doing a wonderful impression of a fish as his mouth just opens and closes. Thankfully, he doesn’t need to, because Cas leans in to speak. "Hello, Max. This is Brad," he gestures to the man sitting in front of them, "my brother tells me he's quite intelligent, and clearly he's a looker. Anyway, nice to meet the both of you, I hope you have a wonderful date." Cas squeezes Dean's hand a little tighter, in order to drag him out of the restaurant before anyone else has a chance to speak. 

They get out and around the corner of the building when Dean loses it. He pulls Cas to a halt and is laughing so hard tears are rolling down his cheeks. Castiel just stares at him, smile full of wonder and endearment. Eventually Dean's hearty laugh dies down into childlike giggles which makes both of them laugh and now they're leaning against each other in a fit of hysterics. "I can't believe you did that."

"What, set them up with each other? Were we supposed to just leave them alone?" Cas shrugs and starts walking down the street, in the direction of his car. 

Dean's not sure where he's going, and his car is in the opposite direction, but he knows he wants to follow. "Yeah, I guess that woulda been rude. Standing 'em up and stealing their dates." He hustles a bit, to catch up, so the two are walking shoulder to shoulder. 

"I’m not sure what Gabriel was thinking when he set this up. Brad is clearly not a prompt person, which is a major turn-off for me. I was exactly on time, ordered a drink, and found another date before he got there. Not to mention how much cologne he was wearing."

Dean huffs out a laugh and playfully pushes the side of Cas' head. "Well, goin’ off of those standards, Max ain't much better. But, at least Brad is 'a looker,' huh?" He says, raising an eyebrow to add to the sarcasm. 

Cas rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Oh, hush. I had to say something to convince Max to stay. I don't know the guy, so really his face is all I had to work with. Besides, have you seen yourself? Brad doesn't touch those eyes of yours. And God, those freckles are adorable."

Dean shakes his head, trying to hide the blush furiously creeping up his cheeks. "Whatever. Just tryin' to make yourself feel better about this decision." Cas just laughs and reaches for Dean's hand. His other hand reaches across his own body to hold Dean's elbow as they walk. They walk in a comfortable silence until Cas starts rubbing Dean's arm. "You're gettin' awful handsy, Cas. What kinda girl you think I am?" He teases. 

"Mm. Hopefully the kind who will come home with me after the first date?" He leans his head against Dean's arm and looks up at him with the cutest set of puppy dog eyes Dean's ever seen. 

"Tryna get in my pants already? Gotta buy me dinner or somethin' first. I'm not that easy."

Cas stops in front of a small black car and leans against the hood, pulling his keys from his pants pocket. "Did I not just wine and dine you, Dean?"

"I'm pretty sure I footed the bill, if you want to get technical."

Cas shakes his head at him and unlocks the car. "Where'd you park?"

Dean scratches at the back of his neck and chuckles. "Uh, all the way down the street," he says, pointing to where they came from.

"So," Cas starts, taking a few steps towards him. Dean meets him halfway, gently holding his hips while he wraps his arms around Dean’s neck. "Would you like a ride back to your car now?" He leans up a bit to whisper against the shell of his ear, "or in the morning?"

A shiver runs down Dean's spine, and he answers almost immediately. "Morning. Definitely morning." 

Dean follows Cas into the car, holds his hand the entire ride, kisses him up to his apartment, and after a very long, enjoyable night, he wakes up in his arms. He looks up from Cas' chest with a smile after hearing him yawn himself awake. For a minute, he thinks his heart might burst with the amount of adoration he already feels for this man. 

Cas wipes at his face with the hand not on Dean's back and looks down at the freckled man before him. "Sleep well?" He grumbles, already gravelly voice deepened with sleep. 

Dean can’t help the shiver that sends down his spine. "Better than I have in a while. Think I might have to keep you around." He smirks and tucks his face back into the crook of Cas’ neck, cuddling in closer. 

"I was just thinking the same thing,” Cas whispered into the honey hair tickling his chin, before dropping a kiss there. 

So, Dean thinks, blind dates aren't totally the worst. That is, if you accidentally end up spending the date with the man who will turn out to be the love of your life. You know, instead of the guy you were supposed to be meeting. Eh, who's really paying attention to the specifics?


End file.
